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blood deposits in putrefaction a sediment resembling well digested pus, and changes to a faint olive-green. A serum so far putrefied as to become green, is perhaps never to be seen in the vessels of living animals; but in dead bodies this serum is to be distinguished by the green colour which the flesh acquires in corrupting. In salted meat this is commonly ascribed to the brine, but erroneously, for that has no power of giving this colour, but only of qualifying the taste, and in some degree the ill effects of corrupted aliments. In foul ulcers, and other sores where the serum is left to stagnate long, the matter is likewise found of this colour, and is then always acrimonious. The putrefaction of animal substances is prevented or retarded by most saline matters, even by the fixed and volatile alkaline salts, which have generally been supposed to produce a contrary effect. Of all the salts that have been tried, sea salt seems to resist putrefaction the least; in small quantities it even accelerates the process. The vegetable bitters, as camomile flowers, are much stronger antiseptics, not only for preserving the flesh long uncorrupted, but likewise somewhat correcting it when putrid: the mineral acids have this effect in a more remarkable degree.

Vinous spirits, aromatics, and warm substances, and the acrid plants, erroneously called alkalescent, scurvygrass, and horse-radish, are found to resist putrefaction. Sugar and camphor are found to be powerfully antiseptic. Fixed air, or the carbonic acid, is likewise known to resist putrefaction; but, above all, the vapour of nitrous acid in the form of air is found to be the most effectual in preserving animal bodies from corruption. The list of the septics, or of those substances which promote putrefaction, is very short, and such a property has only been discovered in calca

reous earths and magnesia, and a very few salts whose bases are of these earths. It is observable, that notwithstanding the strong tendency of animal matter to putrefaction, yet broths made from them, mixed with vegetables, instead of putrefying turn sour.

It has been found that when animal flesh in substance is beaten up with bread, or other farinaceous vegetables, and a proper quantity of water, into the consistence of a pap, this mixture likewise, kept in a heat equal to that of the human body, grows in a little time sour, while the vegetable matters without the flesh suffer no change. Some few vegetables, in the resolution of them by fire, discover some agreement in their matter with bodies of the animal kingdom, yielding a volatile alkaline salt in considerable quantity, with little or nothing of the acid or fixed alkali, which the generality of vegetables afford. In animal substances also, there are some exceptions to the general analysis; from animal fats, as we observed before, instead of a volatile alkali, an acid liquor is obtained, and their empyreumatic oil wants the peculiar offensiveness of other animal oils.

MILKING.

THE operation of milking, as well as many other operations in the dairy, require the most minute and unremitting attention. Hence, a small dairy is usually more profitably managed than a large one, for the farmer's wife and daughters can more readily superintend, or perhaps perform a great part of the dairy operations themselves, when the farm is of a moderate size,

and this is always better done by them than we can expect from a hired servant. Sir John Sinclair justly remarks, that no branch of husbandry requires such constant and unremitting attention. “ If," says he," a few spoonsful of milk are left in the udder of the cow at milking; if any of the implements used in the dairy be allowed to be tainted by neglect; if the dairyhouse be kept dirty, or out of order; if the milk is either too hot or too cold at coagulation; if too much or too little rennet is put into the milk; if the whey is not speedily taken off; if too much or too little salt is applied; if the butter is too slowly or too hastily churned; or if other minute attentions are neglected, the milk will be in a great measure lost. If these nice operations," continues Sir John, " occurred only once a month, or once a week, they might be easily guarded against; but as they require to be observed during every stage of the process, and almost every hour of the day, the most vigilant attention must be kept up throughout the whole season. This is not to be expected from hired servants."

MAKING BUTTER.

ANOTHER important branch of the dairy system, is the making butter; an art which appears to have been the invention not of the Greeks or Romans, but of the ancient Germans and Britons. With regard to the good or bad qualities of butter, a great deal has been always ascribed to the pasturage of different farms or districts. Recent observations and experiments, however, show that much less depends upon this than has been com

monly imagined. Still, however, we are disposed to believe that certain pastures are more favourable to the production of good butter than others. Certain plants, such as turnip, wild garlic, hemlock, roughleaved dandelion, charlock and May-weed, are known to effect the milk with a disagreeable flavour; and there may be others which to a certain degree impair its goodness, though their effects are by no means so

evident.

Far more, however, depends on good management, than on this circumstance, or even on the species of the cow we feed; for that something likewise, is owing to this, is equally well ascertained. Cows have

been found whose milk could not be brought to yield any butter at all. It has long been remarked, that the butter in the highlands of Scotland, when properly made, possesses a peculiarly rich and delicate flavour; and this has been almost universally attributed to the old grass on which the cows feed in these remote glens. But what more common error than to mistake a concomitant circumstance for a cause. Dr. Anderson, by his experiments on milk, has shown that the excellence of the highland butter may be very reasonably ascribed to a quite different cause. He has proved that the cream of a given measure of milk constantly increases in quantity, and still more in quality, from the first drawn teacupful, to the last drop that can be squeezed from the udder at the time. From twelve to twenty hours in summer, and about twice as long in winter, should be permitted to elapse before the milk is skimmed after it has been put into the milk-pans. If on applying the tip of the finger to the surface nothing adheres to it, the cream should be properly taken off; and during the hot summer months this should be done always in the morning, before the dairy be

comes warm

The cream should then be deposited in a deep pan, placed in the coolest part of the dairy, or in a cool cellar, where free air is admitted. In hot weather, churning should never be less frequent than twice a week.

This work should be performed in the coolest time of the day, and in the coolest part of the house, where there is a free draught of air. Cold water should be applied to the churn, first by filling it with this some time before the cream is poured in, and then by immersing it in water to the depth of a foot or so during the operation, provided we use the pumpchurn; or by applying wet cloths to it if we use a barrel-churn. Such means are generally necessary to prevent the too rapid acidification of the cream, and formation of the butter. The winter season, and cold weather, of course require an opposite practice, but we can hardly be too cautious in the application of heat; for the common practices of wrapping the churn in a warm cloth, plunging it into hot water, adding warm milk to the cream, or placing the churn near the fire, all tend to injure the butter. The best way, perhaps, is to heat the churn by filling it with boiling water before the cream is put in, and to place it in the warmest part of the house, but not close to the fire.

The operation of churning ought to be moderate, equable, and unremitting; for if we stop or relax in our exertions the butter will go bad, as it is called; and if the motion be too quick and violent, the butter will imbibe a very disagreeable flavour. This, in some districts of Scotland, is known by the phrase " bursting the churn." The processes for making butter have been various in different ages, and among different nations.

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